Broad spectral response using carbon nanotube/organic semiconductor/C60 photodetectors

Nano Lett. 2009 Sep;9(9):3354-8. doi: 10.1021/nl901637u.

Abstract

We demonstrate that photogenerated excitons in semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be efficiently dissociated by forming a planar heterojunction between CNTs wrapped in semiconducting polymers and the electron acceptor, C(60). Illumination of the CNTs at their near-infrared optical band gap results in the generation of a short-circuit photocurrent with peak external and internal quantum efficiencies of 2.3% and 44%, respectively. Using soft CNT-hybrid materials systems combining semiconducting small molecules and polymers, we have fabricated broad-band photodetectors with a specific detectivity >10(10) cm Hz(1/2) W(1-) from lambda = 400 to 1450 nm and a response time of tau = 7.2 +/- 0.2 ns.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Fullerenes / chemistry*
  • Materials Testing
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry*
  • Particle Size
  • Photochemistry
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Quantum Theory
  • Semiconductors
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Fullerenes
  • Nanotubes, Carbon
  • Polymers
  • fullerene C60